A match-fixing scandal surfaced at the African Cup of Nations on Thursday, as Benin coach Reinhard Fabisch revealed that a Malian man had asked him if there was any possibility of manipulating the outcome of Benin's Group B match against Mali. "I told him, 'Look, you have two minutes to leave the hotel or I will call the police,''' Fabisch told the Associated Press.

The man had approached him two days before Benin's opening match on Monday. "It doesn't help football, but obviously it's today's mentality,'' said Fabisch, who believes the man would have offered him money had he not cut the conversation short. "I told my players that if they are approached by this man to inform me immediately, and he will be taken into custody,'' the Benin coach added. Benin lost its opening two games, falling to Mali, 1-0, and, Ivory Coast, 4-1.